SVA alumnus Sarah Sze (MFA 1997 Fine Arts) will be honored by the The American Federation of Arts (AFA) at their 2012 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards on October 24 in New York City. “The AFA is proud to honor the enormously gifted artist Sarah Sze, whose riveting work is at once elegant, poetic, and playful,” said AFA Director Pauline Willis. “She is a glowing example of the AFA’s tradition of honoring individuals who enrich the art world, and it is fitting that she will be joined at the podium by such fellow luminaries as Klaus Biesenbach, Graham Beal, and Martin Friedman.”

Sze, who has been chosen to represent the United States in the 2013 Venice Biennale, is known for her dynamic installations and sculptures composed of everyday objects. Her work can be found in the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Walker Art Center, and she has received critical acclaim for her public commissions and site-specific installations, including projects for the New York City High Line, the Carnegie International and the São Paolo Biennial.

For more information about Sze, visit her website. For more on the AFA and information about attending the gala, click here.

Image: Sarah Sze, courtesy the artist.